The Satkhira district administration on Thursday night compelled four Ahmadiya leaders to sign an undertaking that they are safe and sound at their localities, alleged central Ahmadiya leaders in Dhaka.

‘The deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police kept four of our leaders confined at the DC office, and forced them to sign a statement,’ Tauhidul Islam, office secretary of the Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat told New Age over telephone last night.

The local administration invited them (the local leaders) at a meeting to have a discussion on the recent attack on the minority Muslim sect by the bigots and forced them to sign the statement, he said.

The amir of the local unit of Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat, Abdul Majid Sardar, the general secretary, Rezaul Karim, the secretary for security affairs, Zillur Rahman, and Monir Hossain Khan, a local missionary, were invited to the meeting.

They were threatened with a dire consequence if they leave the meeting without signing the statement, said the Ahmadiya leader quoting the local leaders.

The district superintendent of police, Abdur Rahim, reached by telephone, denied the allegation saying, ‘We had a meeting with the local leaders. They said they have no problem now.’ He claimed that they had willingly signed the statement.

Rahim said he had taken every possible measure to protect the Ahmadiyas. ‘We deployed five platoons of additional force to maintain a peaceful situation.’